"He's a very valuable member of this football team, just from the type of kid he is ... he's an instinctive player.'' -- Bill O'Brien on Ryan Keiser.

Penn State has a few players who don't always start but have a knack for making big plays when they are in the game.

One of those players is defensive end Anthony Zettel, who has just 11 tackles but four of them are for losses. And Zettel also intercepted a pass in the Lions' overtime win against Michigan that set up a touchdown.

Another player who finds the ball is safety Ryan Keiser, a redshirt junior who has been limited since the Lions' win over Kent State in Week 4 due to a hand injury.

Keiser, who played high school ball at Selinsgrove, missed the team's 44-24 loss at Indiana but is starting to round into form.

Keiser clinched Penn State's 24-17 overtime victory over Illinois last Saturday with an end zone interception of Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase in extra time. PSU corner Adrian Amos tipped away a pass intended for Illinois receiver Spencer Harris and Keiser made a play on the ball.

The stat sheet showed Keiser had just one tackle, but it was for a loss. And Keiser was credited with another pass deflection. The Lions (5-3) travel to Minnesota this weekend for a Big Ten matchup with the Golden Gophers (7-2).

For the season, Keiser has 15 tackles, two for losses. He also has two interceptions and has been credited with 12 passes defensed, third-most on the squad.